When Erin moved into her home, the kitchen looked like this: fluorescent lighting, dark wood cabinetry, beat up laminate countertop, and a fake brick backsplash. Not cute. So she got rid of the bad (laminate!) and kept the good (that cute rug) and made some major DIY upgrades that gave her kitchen both the look and functionality she needed.

From Erin:

With its galley layout and wall-to-wall upper cabinetry, work space was virtually nonexistent. We removed several upper cabinets and the fake brick backsplash and replaced it with open shelving and white subway tile to provide additional work space and a more open feel. We refinished and painted the cabinets Dove White, installed an IKEA butcher block countertop and spray-painted the IKEA cabinet hardware gold to give it a high-end look.

Everything in our kitchen was a DIY project, from painting the cabinets and installing the butcher block to tiling the backsplash. It was worth the sweat and tears as the entire project, from start to finish, clocked in under $1,500!